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I tried the last game and was surprised by how much I enjoyed it. I only have Link and Zelda amiibos so wouldn't get any of the outfits, (would have loved a Link outfit though haha). Though I don't have a New 3DS anyways so it doesn't matter much.

I had to guess for a lot of the questions, or just put in arbitrary numbers. I tend to be a binge gamer, (will play excessively for one week, then won't play at all or rarely for two weeks). So trying to answer questions like "how many hours do you play a week?" is nearly impossible.

@element187 Sorry, I didn't mean to imply that devs can't give away keys for free. I meant that the devs do have to pay for the keys that they give away. So they may be buying the keys from Nintendo and then giving them to reviewers as part of promotion, (which would be included in a Kickstarter's marketing budget). They may have a set amount of "review keys" they can get for free, (I don't know about this) but unless Nintendo has changed their policies recently, I don't believe they can generate as many keys as they would like to give away for whomever they please, as you can with Steam, so there is an extra cost associated with that in order to get backers the copies they pledged for.

I also didn't mean to imply that the actual act of porting to Wii U was more expensive than porting to other consoles, just that it can be as simple as a 1-click export or more time-extensive if the engine doesn't allow for that. This applies to every console. I just meant to say that porting in general is a bit costly as it adds development time, and Wii U in particular tends to be a little pricier on Kickstarter (partly because of the key thing, which is in addition to porting costs).

I don't think most devs are trying to take advantage of desperate players, however. Some of them have simply never developed for consoles either, and may not be willing to take the risk unless they raise a certain amount. If you do think a particular goal is too high, and you have information that can help a dev lower it, then by all means let the dev know That's a great thing about Kickstarter, too.

@OneBagTravel Porting to Wii U can be a bit more expensive than other consoles. You do need to buy the Wii U dev kit, (granted that is only about $3,000). However, another thing to consider is that Nintendo does not allow devs to give away game keys. Unlike Steam or Humble Bundle, which allows devs to generate keys for free to give to their backers, Nintendo charges a percentage for every key distributed. So, depending on the price of the final release and the backer pledge amount, devs could actually lose money on every Wii U backer pledge, (which is also why the Wii U keys tend to given at a higher backer tier, to prevent that from happening). So the high stretch goals may be to compensate this cost as well.

Depending on the engine, it could be simple to port to Wii U or very time-extensive. Also, another thing to keep in mind is that the stretch goal isn't the cost of porting. Aegis Defenders, for example, has a Wii U stretch goal at $150,000. But the last stretch goal before that was $125,000, which is the cost of the game up until that point. So the extra cost to port to Wii U is actually only $25,000. It's just not as high of a priority as the other stretch goals.

For me personally this is fine, since I was only going to play local anyways. Usually it's the other way around (online co-op available instead of local) which is always disappointing to me since I usually only play with my boyfriend.

But I know a lot of people like to play online, so I understand this must be bad news for them

@Findonovan95 Haha I actually loved that game too. My favorite DS game, actually. It was a lot of fun.

I really love Ruto - she looks absolutely gorgeous. I was going to complain a little bit about them covering her up, but then realized this is how she appears in the 3DS version of Ocarina of Time. Either way, I can't wait to play as her!

I already had all of these games I wanted, so I donated my Donkey Kong Country Returns 3D code to Nate Schmold, (the developer of Cosmochoria) since he gives away game codes on his Twitch streams on Fridays sometimes. I think he'll be giving out an Earthbound code too which is awesome ^-^

Cute scans! I'm happy that Pokemon Amie will be included! Also I wonder if those Pikachu forms/outfits will be similar to how you could change your Furfrou's haircut? Maybe they are rewards for winning the contests? ^-^

I hope it is like Furfrou, as I would love to use my dressed-up Pikachu in battle XD

Haha, I actually think she's really cute. I'll definitely play her! I also like that they're including a wide range of character types, as well as bringing in background characters and making them playable. It kind of lets you experience Hyrule from new different perspective, (though I realize this isn't exactly canon, lol).

I don't think they're trying to be subtle at all. If you look up "Stolen Couch Games" on Google, their website meta description is "Castaway Paradise is like Animal Crossing for your tablet and mobile phone! It's free! Play it right now!"

I am interested in both titles. I'm a huge fan of XSeed so Story of Seasons is really appealing to me. However, I'm also a fan of 3D Harvest Moon and I like that Natsume is interested in creating a game that gets back to the things that old fans enjoyed while also bringing in new elements, such as the field customization.

Oh, who am I kidding, I'll probably get both >.> Though I'm worried that this "feud" will diminish the quality of the games. And confuse people.

I don't really need any extra gaming support, (I usually just rest my arms on my leg and that seems to work well for me). Though I actually do like the idea of having a built-in controller compartment. My controllers are all over the place XD But I think I'd be more interested in making my own; this one a little pricey, and I'd like to have something that looks cute and/or gaming related.

I think it's really gorgeous! I think it would be kind of cool to do a 'realistic" Zelda, but I'm also happy with a more traditional approach. My favorite art style for Zelda is the "semi-realistic" type, (Ocarina, Twilight Princess) but I have been surprised before, (Wind Waker) so I am willing to give anything a chance

I enjoyed playing it, but there were a lot of problems. The characters were cute, but after a while I lost all motivation in working the shop. What was I saving my money for? There was nothing to buy. And it was unclear what triggered new events. Was it just random, did I have to earn enough money? Did I just have to be in the right spot at the right time? There was no logical connection between the goal of the game and what actions you as the player chose to take.

I am happy to support Yasuhiro Wada with his new series, though. It is difficult trying to do something different after so many years, and likely without the support he had with Harvest Moon. I would like to see him take this experience and use it to improve upon his next game.

I'm really stoked about Cosmochoria. I'm not a huge fan of shooters, but I gave the demo a try and I was surprised by how much I loved it. Not only is the artwork lovely, but there's a unique sort of strategy involved with deciding which planets to revive, setting up bases, getting lost, getting unlost, and so on. It was really a unique experience that is somehow both zen-like and crazy chaotic at the same time XD

I don't know, it just makes me really happy. Also, the creator is doing a live Twitch stream at the moment if anyone has any questions about the game:http://www.twitch.tv/nateschmold

I played the Cosmochoria demo last night and absolutely loved it I really hope it makes it to the Wii U stretch goal, which I'm happy to see has been lowered to a more reasonable amount.

APEXICON looks like something I would enjoy, (very Puzzle Quest-esque) but I'm donating to a few other projects already, and since APEXICON has reached its goal I may wait until it is officially released.

I've also backed Twisted Fusion and Hex Heroes, (as well as Pixel Noir, though it isn't coming to Nintendo platforms). Hoping they reach their funding goals as well

Thanks for the updates! I'm really happy that Earthlock made its goal, it's definitaly one of my most anticipated Kickstarter games! I'm also backing Hex Heroes and Twisted Fusion, so hoping they make it as well. (And I might back APEXICON as well, but it looks like they'll make it without my help, haha.)

I really wish the Wii U stretch goals were a little more achievable on some of these. I really like the look of Cosmochoria, for example, but the $150k is intense, (especially considering the main goal is only $10k o.O)

@tebunker Thanks for sharing Skullforge as well! I didn't even see that one on Kickstarter. I just backed it too, since I like the genre and Wii U is included in the primary goal

I understand Nintendo's reasoning for not including same-sex relationships, but I think I will still pass on the title. Simple because this is a life simulator, and it seems unfair that I would be able to enjoy the game to its fullest while many others would not.

Thank you for this article! I've backed Earthlock and Twisted Fusion, so it's great to see them get some publicity. And of course, great to bring attention to other games we may have overlooked or missed as well.

Also for you artsy types, both Earthlock and Twisted Fusion are running design contests right now.

@Cosats Canadian law does not allow contests to give out prizes in "games of chance". They do, however, allow prizes to be given out for skill-based contests, (or games of chance that include a skill testing question...) Usually the question is ridiculously easy and sometimes they will even tell you the answer beforehand. It's just a technicality to make it legal.

Edit: Though considering this is a skill-based contest, I have no idea XD

Anyways, I may enter this, (though my weapon-drawing skills aren't fabulous). I'm already entering a Monster Designing Contest for Earthlock and a Costume Contest for Twisted Fusion, (those Kickstarter games) so hopefully I'll have time for this one too!

Oh wow, over 400 comments. I'm probably not saying anything new here, but I thought I'd join in anyways.

As a woman I was never offended by the title. However, I wasn't interested in it personally as I find the remarkably large breasts on the characters to look incredibly silly. They look like they have large jiggly water balloons strapped to their chests. Even if there's some sort of story and even if these characters have some sort of personality, even as a woman I am only going to be looking at their giant jiggly in-your-face breasts. To say that this is a byproduct of my innate inclination to objectify women is a little silly as well, considering that these characters were designed specifically to be objectified.

However, after watching some gameplay videos I'll admit that I was laughing pretty hard. There were half-naked girls squealing while smashing their butts together. There were cut-scenes where the girls' clothes spontaneously and conveniently rip in their butt and cleavage area, (seriously, who designs these outfits? I'd want a refund.) It is clearly pure objectification for the pleasure of the player. I'm pretty sure that no one playing is going to watch one of those cut-scenes and go, "Hey man, did you see that girl's awesome personality?"

With that being said, if taken in a lighthearted tongue-and-cheek sort of way, the game is hilarious. It is absolutely ridiculous and I almost died laughing as I was showing these videos to my boyfriend. I told him that I almost wanted to play it. Is this game clearly and blatantly all about the sexualization and objectification of women? Yes, absolutely. Do I feel oppressed for having seen it? No, not really. This game is funny because it is such an unrealistic portrayal of women and the player recognizes this distinction. Problems with these games arise when given to players who are unable to separate fantasy from reality, but does that mean that they should be disallowed altogether?

Also I wonder if it is Nintendo's job to censor this kind of thing. Games like these exist because there is a demand for it and a market for it. While these kinds of things do reinforce gender stereotypes, I would argue that we are not a society that alters its values based on the media, but that the media is a reflection of our society's values. They make it because it sells. I think we have to take some responsibility here, and acknowledge that what we buy and what we support has an influence on how games are made. The strong female characters that we are seeing in games today are a reflection of a society that wants to see these kinds of women.

(Also I see a lot of people making the point that there is objectification and unrealistic ideals and standards for men in the video game industry as well. However, I don't think this makes it okay to objectify women so much as it implies that we need to work on creating good characters in general, regardless of gender.)

Edit: I didn't vote in the poll because there was no option to state that I do not find the images appealing, and yeah they're a little bit sexist, but still I have somehow remained unoffended.

I'm actually really excited for this game XD It looks super cute and I am in love with Torri's hair @-@

@Action51 There are quite a few of these kinds of games on consoles still, (at least on Playstation). There's the Persona series, (which is a part of the Shin Megami Tensei metaseries and also involves building relationships and romances with classmates in order to fight monsters)... There's the Atelier series (one of my favorites) which is still going strong. Disgaea, (and pretty much anything else from NIS America haha).

Though I will agree the selection is pretty dismal compared to the majority of titles out there.

@Xyphon22 Just to test it I started giving people bad weapons and they almost all lost. First I gave them the wrong type of weapon that was also a low level and they were defeated. Then I gave them the right type of weapon (but low level) and they were defeated. Then I gave the heroes the right type of weapon at the right level but with the wrong stat distribution and they lost pretty hard.

I even gave a hero the wrong type of weapon, (a club instead of a sword) but at the right level and with the right stats and he still managed to lose, (although he was very close to winning).

I am playing with level 5 heroes at the moment, (so maybe halfway through the story?) but I know with level 1 and 2 heroes the game is quite a bit more forgiving. (I've given level 2 NPCs bad weapons but they generally manage to squeak by). But as the game progresses you have to do a better job of making sure you're giving heroes and NPCs the right weapon.

But it's more like the closer you follow a customer's request the more likely it is that they'll succeed. If you follow it exactly, there's pretty much no chance of failure. But stray a bit and they still have a good chance. Do a terrible job and they're probably going to fail. (This is of course only for the story, I'm not sure how strict it is after the main game!)